Collection: Mighty Bugs

MIGHTY BUGS

There are probably more than 10 million different kinds, or species, of animals, and possibly 9 out of 10 of them are insects. The insect kingdom is said to be one of the greatest success stories in the animal kingdom, and they had three major features that allowed them to conquer various habitats: a hard outer skeleton called an exoskeleton, wings for flying and three pairs of legs with flexible joints. Other animals have exoskeletons and jointed legs too, including the eight-legged spiders and multi-legged millipedes and centipedes, which are actually not insects. All these animals belong to the animal group known as arthropods.

Mighty Bugs, acrylic on canvas, 2020. Set of 9, each piece 8" X 8" 

Goliath Beetle

Goliath Beetle, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Beetles (also known as coleopterans) make up the largest subgroup of insects, and there are almost half a million species of beetles which make up about one third of all animal species. The heaviest beetle, and the heaviest insect, is the goliath beetle (Goliathus goliatus), which can be found in Africa. It measures up to 110 millimeters and weighs up to 108 grams, which is almost as heavy as two chicken eggs.  

Swallowtail Butterfly

Swallowtail Butterfly, acrylic on canvas, 2019

After the beetles, the second largest subgroup of insects is the butterflies and moths (also known as lepidopterans), with about 175,000 species. One very famous family of the butterflies are the swallowtails, with the species pictured being the Old World swallowtail (Papilio machaon). This species is widespread throughout Eurasia and North America. Swallowtails are named for the swallow tail-like extensions on their hind wings.

Cicadas

Cicadas, acrylic on canvas, 2019

Cicadas are members of the true bugs family, the Hemiptera. Male cicadas make the loudest insect sounds, which are made from the sides of the insect's thorax, or midsection of its body. They are also one of the longest-living of all insects, as nymphs of some cicada species stay underground for more than 20 years before changing into its adult form. The cicada symbolizes rebirth and immortality in Chinese tradition, and is associated with the summer season in Japanese culture.

Ladybug

Ladybug, Cricket and Stick Insect, acrylic on canvas, 2019

Ladybugs or ladybirds (center) are members of the beetle family. These rotund, spotted beetles, usually colored red, orange or yellow, are considered to be beneficial in biological control as they feed on crop-eating insects such as aphids. On the left side of the painting is a cricket, a member of the insect family Orthoptera which also includes grasshoppers. This family is known to have long, powerful back legs for leaping and jumping, as well as to make sounds in order to communicate. Crickets rub their comb-like front wing veins together to make their characteristic noise. On the right side is a stick insect, a member of the insect family called the phasmids or Phasmatodea. Insects of this family live in tropical regions and known for their ability to disguise themselves as parts of plants like sticks and leaves to hide from predators. The world's longest insect is a stick insect from southern China that grew to about 62 centimeters long.

Praying Mantis

Ladybug and Praying Mantis, acrylic on canvas, 2019

The praying mantis belongs to the mantid family of insects. They are fierce predators which feed on other insects, grabbing them with their spiny, pincer-like front legs. Mantises have large eyes and excellent vision. The power of the praying mantis is said to be the inspiration to a style of martial arts from China.

This painting picturing the mantis with a ladybug is said to be inspired by the film A Bug's Life.

Peanut Bug

Peanut Bug, acrylic on canvas, 2020

The peanut bug (Fulgora laternaria), also known as the alligator bug, is a member of the Hemiptera order of insects, also known as the true bugs. It measures up to 90 millimeters long and has a wingspan of up to 150 millimeters long. It is named for the large bump on its head which resembles a peanut and displays false eyes to resemble that of a lizard, which leads to its "alligator bug" nickname. The peanut bug knocks this oversized bump on hollow trees to create vibrations to attract mates. It lives in the tropical forests of Mexico, Central America and South America.

Death's Head Moth

Death’s Head Moth, acrylic on canvas, 2019

There are three species of death's-head hawkmoth, and the species pictured is the African death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos), which can be found in Africa and Europe. It is a large moth, with a wingspan of approximately 120 millimeters. This species is named for the skull-like pattern on its thorax. For this species, the female is usually larger than the male. Death's-head hawkmoths are also capable of making sounds by sucking in air through the pharynx, and the squeaking sound produced was thought to have been used to deter predators. 

Redback Spider

Spiders, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Having eight legs instead of six, spiders are not insects but are part of another group of arthropods, the arachnids, alongside scorpions. With some 80,000 species, arachnids form the second largest group of arthropods, after insects. All spiders have poisonous bites, but only about 30 species have fangs strong enough, and venom powerful enough to harm animals hundreds of times larger than themselves. The spider pictured is a redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), a species sometimes nicknamed the Australian cousin of the infamous black widow spider. The female is known for its black-colored body with red markings, while the male, also pictured, is usually smaller than the female.  The redback is one of the few spider species that can be seriously harmful to humans.

Millipede and Centipede

Millipede and Centipede, acrylic on canvas, 2020

Centipedes and millipedes belong to the order Myriapoda, a family of arthropods characterized for having many pairs of legs. The name centipede means "hundred legs", but most species have about 20 pairs of legs, while some species can have up to 340 legs. On the other hand, the name millipede means "thousand legs", but the maximum number of legs a millipede can have is 750. There are several major differences between centipedes and millipedes. Millipedes have rounder bodies while centipedes have flat bodies, and millipedes are vegetarians which feed on plant matter while centipedes, sometimes equipped with nasty bites, hunt small animals such as arthropods, small mammals and small reptiles.